


Information and Resources for Writing About Wakanda

by Ashling



Category: Black Panther (2018)
Genre: Wakanda, Wakandan culture, black panther fandom, resources, writing resources
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-12
Updated: 2018-03-12
Packaged: 2019-03-30 05:34:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 464
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13943892
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ashling/pseuds/Ashling
Summary: From a piece on the urban planning on Birnin Zana to a list of Xhosa names, this is a collection of the resources I found while doing research for my M'Baku/Reader ficThe Intern. It's a mix of information about Wakanda and information about various different aspects of culture, language, geography, etc from different African countries.This is not comprehensive at all, it's just me citing my sources and hoping that they are useful to other writers. I will update it regularly as I come across more sources while writing The Intern and other Black Panther fic.





	Information and Resources for Writing About Wakanda

  **African Art**

[A carved elephant tusk](http://multimedia.detnews.com/pix/photogalleries/newsgallery/diaafrica0414/index2.html), dating from the mid-19th century in the Democratic Republic of Congo, is the inspiration for the firelit art the Reader sees in Chapter 4 of The Intern.

 

**Animals**

Ibexes are a type of mountain goat with massive curving horns. I based the Jabari ibex, which is a large domesticated species, off the [Nubian ibex](https://www.britannica.com/animal/Nubian-ibex), which lives in parts of western Africa. I figured that the rhinos in the film were larger, easier to domesticate, and more intelligent than their non-Wakandan counterparts due to the effects of vibranium on Wakandan flora and fauna, so why not apply that to other species, too? The border tribe shouldn't get all the fun.

 

**Food**

[Wakandan jeweled vegetable pilau and braised lamb](http://buzzfeedvideo.top/buzz-feed-video/what-would-they-eat-in-black-panther/) are made and narrated by Nnedi Okorafor, who wrote the book Black Panther: Long Live The King. I do not have the money, resources, or know-how to obtain all the ingredients (lamb?) and cook them, but if anyone tries the recipe, please, please, I am begging you, tell me how it tastes. I'm curious. (Also I put it in Chapter 3 of The Intern and I want to make sure I get it right.)

[Kola nuts](https://www.britannica.com/science/kola-nut) are from "tropical Africa" and are valued for their caffeine content. They are also used for their medicinal purposes by people in Brazil, and for social purposes by some tribes in Africa. I used them as a way to get my main character some caffeine even though I didn't think that Jabari Land would have coffee, being cut off from the outside world as it is in my fic.

 

**Jabari Land Culture**

"It wasn’t explored at length in the film, but the Jabari live off a sacred Jabari wood that [Winston] Duke says can go “toe-to-toe” with vibranium" according to [this article](https://www.inverse.com/article/41498-black-panther-vibranium-jabari-mbaku).

 

**Medicine**

Lavender [is native to North Africa](https://www.britannica.com/plant/lavender), but grows [in other parts of the continent](https://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/smell-of-success-in-the-air-at-cape-lavender-227999) as well. As Shuri notes in Chapter 6, [some studies](https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748703846604575447591695802182) [suggest](https://sleepfoundation.org/bedroom/smell.php) it helps with insomnia, but ultimately it's not as powerful as a straight-up melatonin pill.

 

**Names**

Obviously, Wakanda is a mix of cultures from several African countries, so there's no right or wrong answer in naming Wakandan characters.

I used [Sesotho names](http://www.sesotho.web.za/names.htm) in naming two women (Dintle and Lebo) from the border kingdom, because the border kingdom warriors use Basotho blankets in the movie. Basotho blankets are from Lesotho, and Sesotho is the national language of Lesotho.

[Xhosa names](http://salanguages.com/names/index.htm) were the names I used most for residents of Birnin Zana, since I know Xhosa is the main language of Wakanda. That link will also lead you to Zulu names and other names from languages used in South Africa, if you're interested in Zulu, etc.

 

**Setting**

[A piece on Birnin Zana from the perspective of an urban planner.](https://www.curbed.com/2018/2/19/17028794/black-panther-wakanda-urban-design-architecture-birnin-zana)

 


End file.
